Thomas
* Blue Puffball * Mr. Blue Tank Engine * Nia's Friend * Tommo * Little Engine |gender = Male |country_of_origin = * England * Island of Sodor |affiliation = *North Western Railway *Ffarquhar Branch Line *Steam Team |basis = LB&SCR E2 class |gauge = |power_type = Steam |vehicle = Locomotive |type = Tank Engine |fuel_type = Coal |configuration = 0-6-0T |wheels = 6 |top_speed = 50 mph |designer(s) = L.B. Billinton |builder(s) = Brighton Works |year_built = 1915 |year_rebuilt = 1960 |arrived_on_sodor = 1915 |number = *NWR 1 *LB&SCR 70 |railway = *North Western Railway *London, Brighton and South Coast Railway |owner(s) = Sir Topham Hatt }} Thomas is a blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway. He originally worked as the station pilot at the Big Station but longed to leave his yard to go out and see the world. After helping to rescue James from a nasty accident, Thomas was rewarded with two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line. He works there to this day. Biography Details of Thomas' arrival on the North Western Railway in 1915 are mostly undocumented and it is unknown exactly how he turned up on Sodor. The most popular theory put forward, however, is that he was sent to Sodor in a wartime mix-up. His driver and fireman got along well with the local people and married Sudrian women. By 1920, neither one wanted to leave the Island or their beloved engine. During an inquiry, Topham Hatt found out that the LB&SCR had written off Thomas as being "lost on war service." Rather than face complications resulting from a change in their books, the LB&SCR quietly sold Thomas to the North Western Railway for a "nominal sum". Thomas originally worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown, shunting trains for the bigger engines on the main line to take out. He enjoyed teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and whistle loudly at while Gordon dozed on a siding. Eventually, Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by pulling out of the station before he could be uncoupled from his coaches, dragging him down the line at a tremendous speed. Thomas vowed to never tease Gordon again. Perhaps as a result of his brief excursion beyond his boundaries, Thomas longed to see more of the world and become a part of it and became jealous of the bigger engines for having the chance to pull trains. Personality Thomas is described as being a cheeky, fussy engine. He often gets into scrapes, usually by being over-eager to do things best left to bigger and more sensible engines. But clouds never last long in Thomas' life and he is soon bustling about again, playing his part in the yard and on his very own branch line, of which he is extremely proud. He loves teasing the others, especially the bigger engines, such as Gordon and on occasion brags about his superiority, but is always brought down to earth in due course by anyone willing to correct him, especially the Fat Controller and his two coaches, Annie and Clarabel. If Thomas has one major character flaw, it is that he is forgetful and rather impatient. However, he is also optimistic, idealistic and altruistic with a heart of gold. Technical Details Basis Thomas is based on the LB&SCR Class E2 0-6-0T, particularly the second batch of locomotives built with extended side-tanks. These engines were built by Brighton Works between 1913-1916 to replace the aging Stroudley E1 class and were primarily used for heavy shunting and short-distance goods trains in the London area and on the south coast. During their final working years, the E2 class worked as shunting engines at Southampton Docks alongside the USATC S100 Tank Engines (Rosie's basis), until they were replaced by the BR Class 07 diesel shunters (Salty's basis). All of the E2s were scrapped, with none surviving into preservation. In 2016, word has been going around about a new one being built, with a blue livery and wheel splashers like Thomas himself, though this is debatable. Thomas has several major differences from the original E2 class. He is much shorter in length than his original basis, he has two extra windows on the sides of his cab and he has wheel splashers, something the original E2 class lacked. In early volumes of The Railway Series and the television series, Thomas' footplate is dipped at the front, but oddly enough is not dipped at the back. In Branch Line Engines, his footplate was leveled out from smokebox to bunker. Livery Thomas is painted in NWR sky blue with red lining. His number is painted on the sides of his tanks in yellow with red lining and the lining around his cab windows is yellow. Appearances * Season 1 - A Near Miss for BoCo (cameo), Daisy The Royal Diesel Rail-Car (does not speak), Henry's Nightmare, Taking The Plunge Again? (does not speak) and Donald, Douglas and The Presents Train * Season 2 - Toby and the Express (does not speak), ''Not a Toy!, Mollie the Station Cat (episode), Fibbing Thomas, A Cow in the Tunnel, Duck Runs Dry ''(cameo), ''The Flaming Kipper ''(mentioned), ''The Forgotten Legend (cameo), Thomas' Christmas Tree, A Christmas for Diesel ''(cameo), ''A Midnight Ride for Thomas, Thomas and the New Bell and Happy Hogmanay. * Season 3 - * Season 4 - * Season 5 - * Season 6 - * Season 7 - Thomas & Percy's Field Trip * Season 8 - Model Passenger, Paxton (episode) ''(cameo), ''Lobster on the Line (does not speak), ''Cottage for Sale, Typical Engines ''(cameo) ''and The Law is the Law! Category:Protagonists Category:Characters Category:Steam Locomotives Category:North Western Railway Category:Male characters Category:Standard gauge Category:Great Britain Category:Locomotives Category:Steam Team